Mid Atlantic Brewing News December 2010/January 2011 : Page 5

Vol. 12 No. 6 Editorial continued from p. 3 www.brewingnews.com This prompted the City Paper’s Carman to write: “Almost everyone I talked to for this article seems to want the Brickskeller to continue operating at its present location, even if it had to change names. The saloon is too historic and too important in beer circles to lose to the vagaries of business. And Brickskeller in another location just wouldn’t be Brickskeller.” I agree ... partly. The Brickskeller is still immensely relevant to the local beer com-munity. But a great bar, like a great brewpub or brewery, is more a reflection of the imag-ination and energy of its owners than the edifice it happens to be located in. I would much rather see the Brickskeller move to Hyattsville or Manassas or West Podunk Heights and remain under ownership of the Alexanders than fall under the control of some corporate suits who would turn it into a soulless theme bar, even if they were will-ing to slap on a new coat of paint. "I enjoy the trendy new multitaps with their state-of-the-art coldboxes, their upscale menus featuring duck confit pizza, arugula salad and fromage plates, and the white-glove treatment they accord our favorite beverage. But I think there's a place of honor in the beer community for a down-home saloon where you don't feel under dressed in jeans and t-shirt; where you don't have to wait an hour to get inside or muscle your way to the bar past a crowd five men deep; and where you can enjoy some decent pub grub and an IPA and still get change for your twenty." 5 By Nathan Zeender Long Island, NY is experiencing a nanobrew-ing explosion. It began with Blind Bat Brewery a few years back, Barrier Brewing Co. followed in 2009, and next year will see two more rollouts. Nassau and Suffolk coun-ties, which make up Long Island, are dense with 2.7 million people, with recent-ly improving craft beer options. A combination of legal self-distribution, high rent and strict build-ing codes have provided a foothold for the imaginative small-scale brewer. Evan Klein adds hops to a brew at Barrier Brewing Co., Long Island-born Paul his nanobrewery in Oceanside, Long Island, NY. Dlugokencky operates PHOTO BY NATHAN ZEENDER his Blind Bat Brewery in Centerport out of a 300-punchy 79-IBU Lights Out Stout . sq-ft detached garage behind his house, Klein plans to do some bottling of his producing “wood-smoked and other odd higher-gravity seasonals, and has serious rustic ales.” The brewery name is a play ambitions to grow to a 7-bbl system. But on the fact that Dlugokencky is extremely “in 2010 I’ll produce around 90 bbl and myopic and colorblind. A great sense of next year will aim for 350.” humor helps him balance his schedule as Local beer visionary Donavan Hall, a full-time worker, part-time brewer and author of the Beer Hall Guide to Long sometime cartoonist. Dlugokencky started Island and mouthpiece of Radio Beer homebrewing in 2002 and then stepped Hall , has rallied a few comrades in his up to a 10-gallon Sabco system similar to little beachside hamlet and is in the pro-the one Sam Calagione (a big inspiration) cess of licensing Rocky Point Artisan used to start Dogfish Head. He quickly Brewers. They’re currently brewing on graduated to a new 3-bbl system from a 1.5-bbl Blichmann system, project-Premier Stainless Systems (the first 3-bbl ing to produce three barrels per week. system that company had ever built). “We don’t have any plans to grow. Dlugokencky smokes his own malt, Maybe down the road we’ll reassess choosing different woods to carry specific this, but we’re not interested in making notes into the beer. His flagship beer is any money. RPAB might be a busi-his robust Hellsmoke Porter, smoked over ness technically, but all of us dislike the alder and apple woods. Old Walt Smoked consumer-commercial model. We just Wit utilizes mesquite. Vlad the Inhaler, a want our little village to have some damn nearly 100% wheat beer, is smoked over good beer.” oak, a 4%-abv recreation of the nearly Hall is an active member of the local extinct Grodziskie style. homebrewing club, The Long Island Beer Dlugokencky doesn’t smoke all his & Malt Enthusiasts. “They’re really pro-beers. His Long Island Potato Stout has moting the craft beer drinking scene and local organic potatoes added to a dry have flipped a bunch of old Bud/Miller/ stout base to further thin the body out. Coors bars to putting on craft/artisan taps. It’s a nod to his Polish and Irish ancestry. LIBME is actively incubating nanos; Dlugokencky recently turned 50 and we’d like to see at least 80 on Long jokes that the brewery is his mid-life Island by 2020.” “sports car, boat and blonde.” He’s pro-Port Jeff Brewing Co. is the project jecting to produce 10 bbl this year and 50 of 34-year-old Michael Philbrick, a bbl in 2011. He’d like to settle into a 10-transplant from Ledyard, Conn. on the or 15-bbl operation in the next few years. far side of Long Island Sound. Philbrick “If I can make some beer that people homebrewed for a decade before attend-enjoy, that will make me happy” ing the Siebel Institute’s World Brewing Fellow Long Island native Evan Klein, Academy for a Master Brewer certificate. 30, brewed for a couple years at Sixpoint He plans on producing UK-inspired reci-Craft Ales in Brooklyn before open-pes on draft and in bottles on a one-barrel ing his one-man Barrier Brewing Co. system with a tasting room. He hopes to in Oceanside. He brews full-time on a expand into a larger production facility, Blichmann one-barrel system, supplying while maintaining the smaller system for draft beer locally and to select bars in “variety, retail, and pilot batches.” Brooklyn. His brewery occupies a 1,300-Port Jefferson is a busy commut-sq-ft industrial space, where he keeps ing destination due to the ferry service five beers on tap for Saturday-afternoon to Connecticut, so “the strategy is to growler fills. Klein “can’t help himself” embrace the locals and tourists first and if from saturating his beers with hops. That it catches on, then the profits and inves-heavy-handedness shows itself to great tors are willing to take it further.” effect in his Ruthless Rye IPA and his

Long Island A Haven For Mini-Breweries

Nathan Zeender

Long Island, NY is experiencing a nanobrewing explosion. It began with Blind Bat Brewery a few years back, Barrier Brewing Co. Followed in 2009, and next year will see two more rollouts. Nassau and Suffolk counties, which make up Long Island, are dense with 2.7 million people, with recently improving craft beer options. A combination of legal self-distribution, high rent and strict building codes have provided a foothold for the imaginative small-scale brewer.<br />
<br />
Long Island-born Paul Dlugokencky operates his Blind Bat Brewery in Centerport out of a 300- sq-ft detached garage behind his house, producing “wood-smoked and other odd rustic ales.” The brewery name is a play on the fact that Dlugokencky is extremely myopic and colorblind. A great sense of humor helps him balance his schedule as a full-time worker, part-time brewer and sometime cartoonist. Dlugokencky started homebrewing in 2002 and then stepped up to a 10-gallon Sabco system similar to the one Sam Calagione (a big inspiration) used to start Dogfish Head. He quickly graduated to a new 3-bbl system from Premier Stainless Systems (the first 3-bbl system that company had ever built).<br />
<br />
Dlugokencky smokes his own malt, choosing different woods to carry specific notes into the beer. His flagship beer is his robust Hellsmoke Porter, smoked over alder and apple woods. Old Walt Smoked Wit utilizes mesquite. Vlad the Inhaler, a nearly 100% wheat beer, is smoked over oak, a 4%-abv recreation of the nearly extinct Grodziskie style.<br />
<br />
Dlugokencky doesn’t smoke all his beers. His Long Island Potato Stout has local organic potatoes added to a dry stout base to further thin the body out. It’s a nod to his Polish and Irish ancestry.<br />
<br />
Dlugokencky recently turned 50 and jokes that the brewery is his mid-life “sports car, boat and blonde.” He’s projecting to produce 10 bbl this year and 50 bbl in 2011. He’d like to settle into a 10- or 15-bbl operation in the next few years. “If I can make some beer that people enjoy, that will make me happy”<br />
<br />
Fellow Long Island native Evan Klein, 30, brewed for a couple years at Sixpoint Craft Ales in Brooklyn before opening his one-man Barrier Brewing Co. In Oceanside. He brews full-time on a Blichmann one-barrel system, supplying draft beer locally and to select bars in Brooklyn. His brewery occupies a 1,300- sq-ft industrial space, where he keeps five beers on tap for Saturday-afternoon growler fills. Klein “can’t help himself” from saturating his beers with hops. That heavy-handedness shows itself to great effect in his Ruthless Rye IPA and his punchy 79-IBU Lights Out Stout<br />
<br />
Klein plans to do some bottling of his higher-gravity seasonals, and has serious ambitions to grow to a 7-bbl system. But “in 2010 I’ll produce around 90 bbl and next year will aim for 350.” <br />
<br />
Local beer visionary Donavan Hall, author of the Beer Hall Guide to Long Island and mouthpiece of Radio Beer Hall, has rallied a few comrades in his little beachside hamlet and is in the process of licensing Rocky Point Artisan Brewers. They’re currently brewing on a 1.5-bbl Blichmann system, projecting to produce three barrels per week. “We don’t have any plans to grow.<br />
<br />
Maybe down the road we’ll reassess this, but we’re not interested in making any money. RPAB might be a business technically, but all of us dislike the consumer-commercial model. We just want our little village to have some damn good beer.”<br />
<br />
Hall is an active member of the local homebrewing club, The Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts. “They’re really promoting the craft beer drinking scene and have flipped a bunch of old Bud/Miller/ Coors bars to putting on craft/artisan taps. LIBME is actively incubating nanos; we’d like to see at least 80 on Long Island by 2020.”<br />
<br />
Port Jeff Brewing Co. Is the project of 34-year-old Michael Philbrick, a transplant from Ledyard, Conn. On the far side of Long Island Sound. Philbrick homebrewed for a decade before attending the Siebel Institute’s World Brewing Academy for a Master Brewer certificate. He plans on producing UK-inspired recipes on draft and in bottles on a one-barrel system with a tasting room. He hopes to expand into a larger production facility, while maintaining the smaller system for “variety, retail, and pilot batches.”<br />
<br />
Port Jefferson is a busy commuting destination due to the ferry service to Connecticut, so “the strategy is to embrace the locals and tourists first and if it catches on, then the profits and investors are willing to take it further.”